Padua, new light for the Basilica of St. Anthony. Renovated facilities

Lighting restoration work in the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, promoted by the Veneranda Arca di Sant’Antonio, with the support of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo and iGuzzini, technical sponsor for the lighting, has been completed. Through innovative technological systems with low environmental impact, the chapel of Blessed Luca Belludi and the chapel of St. James, recognized as Unesco heritage sites, the presbytery, with bronzes by Donatello, Bartolomeo Bellano and Andrea Riccio, and the 16th-century chapel of the Ark, gain new visibility.

A new light, therefore, the masterpieces of the basilica, one of the most important temples in Italy and which holds works of art of primary value: in particular, it is three centuries, the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, that have left the most memorable achievements in the church with extraordinary works, the realization of which brought together excellences in painting, sculpture, decoration applied to ’architecture, by artists such as Andriolo de’ Santi, Altichiero da Zevio, Jacopo Avanzi, Donatello, Bartolomeo Bellano, Andrea Riccio, Tullio and Antonio Lombardo, Sansovino, Danese Cattaneo, and Falconetto.

The recent inscription of Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles on the UNESCO World Heritage List, four of which are housed in the Anthonian complex, and the common road traveled with the City of Padua and the other property-owning entities in the course of the candidacy back in 2011, had led the Veneranda Arca, together with the support of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo and iGuzzini, the technical sponsor for the lighting, to the realization of the new lighting system in the Oratory of St. George, allowing the quality of the painting and the understanding of the artist to be fully grasped. The result achieved convinced the Veneranda Arca di Sant0Antonio and the partners involved to continue further in the enhancement of the basilica’s artistic heritage by committing them to the project of giving an overall reevaluation of the Saint’s way of seeing the interior, which has now come to fruition.

The innovative lighting system, made with iGuzzini fixtures with very high color rendering and minimal visual clutter, capable of responding to the different lighting challenges present, was designed by architect Antonio Stevan, under the direction and coordination of architect Antonio Susani, President of the Veneranda Arca di Sant’Antonio and delegate for the maintenance and restoration works of the Antoniano complex. The work involved the chapel of Blessed Luca Belludi frescoed by Giusto de’ Menabuoi, the chapel of St. James with frescoes by Altichiero and Jacopo Avanzi, recognized as a Unesco heritage site, the presbytery, with bronzes by Donatello, Bartolomeo Bellano and Andrea Riccio, and the sixteenth-century Ark Chapel, a sixteenth-century casket in white and gold that holds the body of the saint.

“The result obtained,” says Emanuele Tessari, Chief President of the Venerable Ark of St. Anthony, “is an amazing overall re-evaluation of the way of seeing the interior of the church, of walking through it, of pausing out of faith and love of beauty before its many masterpieces. Thanks to the important support of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo and iGuzzini, a leading company in the field of architectural lighting, we have been able to bring to fruition an ambitious project, also following the path that Unesco shows us, that is, the enhancement of the assets now recognized as universal heritage. A commitment, which is of the whole city, in keeping the attention high on this set of excellence.”

“This intervention,” adds Gilberto Muraro, President of Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo, “amplifies the artistic and architectural preciousness of the already splendid Basilica del Santo. We are proud and honored to have been able to contribute to its enhancement, today and in the past, aware that it is an asset of inestimable historical-artistic, religious and symbolic value that must be preserved for future generations as well.”

“Giving new light to masterpieces of art, as was the case for the Basilica’s rich decorative apparatus, is an exciting commitment that we take particularly to heart because it means giving new life to a priceless social heritage,” stresses Cristiano Venturini, CEO of iGuzzini Illuminazione. “We believe that the encounter between art and lighting technology is an extraordinary opportunity to offer people a better life, in which beauty plays an increasingly important role.”

New lighting, the

New lighting, the

Padua, new light for the Basilica of St. Anthony. Renovated facilities

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.